spelling bee

See more synonyms for spelling bee on Thesaurus.com

noun

a spelling competition won by the individual or team spelling the greatest number of words correctly; spelldown.

Origin of spelling bee

First recorded in 1870–75

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for spelling bee

spelldown

Examples from the Web for spelling bee

Contemporary Examples of spelling bee

Why allocate education dollars to a community perceived to be off the charts with spelling-bee winners and academic scholars?
Asian-Americans Reject ‘Good’ News in Pew Report
Joie Chen
June 26, 2012

Historical Examples of spelling bee

He had not returned to his home after the spelling-bee, nor had he been seen since.
The Daughter of Anderson Crow
George Barr McCutcheon
There was a spelling-bee every Friday afternoon, for Sam the only endurable event of the school exercises.
Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete
Albert Bigelow Paine
Rosalie did not know that the teacher was to leave Tinkletown surreptitiously until after the spelling-bee.
The Daughter of Anderson Crow
George Barr McCutcheon
It had a good deal the look of a spelling-bee with a teacher who meant to stand no nonsense.
The Huntress
Hulbert Footner

British Dictionary definitions for spelling bee

spelling bee

noun

a contest in which players are required to spell words according to orthographic conventions

Word Origin for spelling bee

C19: from bee ²

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012